Congress to probe FCC with red hot questions

Ars Technica ^ | January 09, 2008 | Nate Anderson

[antiRepublicrat]

The FCC—and Chairman Kevin Martin in particular—are in hot water with Congress over the way that the Commission is run. While Martin was at CES, telling all who would listen that the FCC will investigate Comcast's traffic-shaping practices, the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced a formal investigation of the FCC. The news couldn't be more welcome to the industries that the FCC regulates.

The Associated Press reports that a bipartisan group of Representatives from the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday sent a letter to Martin. The group says that Congress will see if the FCC's dealings are "being conducted in a fair, open, efficient and transparent manner."

The House hasn't been pleased with the FCC lately. Last February, the Commerce Committee grilled Martin about the state of US broadband, the AT&T/BellSouth merger, and lingering allegations of waste and fraud in the Universal Service Fund that pays for phone and Internet service in low-income and rural communities and schools.

[antiRepublicrat]

Sure, the FCC is doing all this bad stuff, but nobody cares until their recent talk about investigating Comcast.

I wonder how much this sudden call for an investigation cost Comcast?

[cinives]

Perhaps the strongest criticism came from Verizon's Tom Tauke, who argued that the FCC just isn't set up to deal with the modern world.

Now there's the truth. Get the government out of the regulatory business and watch prices drop and choices increase.